 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2004-12-27 22:48
for instance, would Eb be harder to play than Bb? Or C harder than Bb? Or A harder than Bb? I'm just wondering, since I've never had the opportunity to try out other clarinets in different keys...
All the fingerings are the same, right? But just in a different key?
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Author: Camanda
Date: 2004-12-27 22:50
What do you mean by "harder"? They all take a little getting used to, they're all quirky, but all instruments are like that to some degree.
Amanda Cournoyer
URI Clarinet Ensemble, Bass Clarinet
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-12-28 01:51
To hit the same PITCH as in frequency, then yes it's easier to hit a high note with an Eb than with a Bb. Think of playing an alto sax, and fingering a clarion F. It'd be MUCH easer for that to pop out (due to the harmonics you have to hit) than to hit the same frequency using a bari sax with all sorts of sidekeys and embouchure tweaking.
HOWEVER . . .
It's supposedly harder to tune or find a well-tuned Eb. I haven't tried any yet myself, but that's the 'word on the street'.
If you wanna have some fun, find something with an Eb line that you can pick out and try to mimic it on your Bb clarinet. I tried this with a Cd that I have from Australia by a clarinet quartet called Clarity (the CD is called "Alive" and I enjoy it). I found myself fingering LOTS of altissimo notes (which for the Eb I'm sure were just the higher clarion notes and probably easier to play).
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: BassClarinetGirl
Date: 2004-12-28 02:10
Well, like has been stated before, what do you mean by harder?
All of the different clarinets have their own identity, but they all have the same basic fingering. That is, with the exception of the Eb Alto, Bass, Contra... they have the extentions for the lower notes, they go down to Eb insted of just E, down to C on the extended range bass and so on... but they can all go into the upper altissimo.
The Eb clarinet takes a little getting used to- its pretty much the piccolo of the clarinets. It took me about a 1/2 hour the first time I picked it up to stop hitting the little keys by accident, but they produce a really nice, high pitched sound. I guess I haven't had much trouble tuning this little guy, but maybe its just that I have been blessed with a good clarinet.
The Eb Alto is a sweet clarinet. Its sound very similar to the Alto Saxophone, which, if you play it in band, you will usually be playing with the 2nd Altos. It is awesome as a clarinet chior instrument. I am also really enjoying playing solo pieces on it. One thing you will have to watch for is that it is EXTREMELY hard to get in tune. You will also need a good bit of air support to be heard over a band or to stand out in a cl chior. Expect to play alot of F#s and C#s with any Eb pitched clarinet.
As for the other clarinets, A for example, are not any "harder" to play, you are just going to have different flats and sharps than the Bb would in the same key, so thats up to you whether they are any harder to play.
Good Luck venturing into the world of other pitches!
Becks
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2004-12-28 03:55
Not really. The bass clarinet is hard for me to play because it's so big. But, all the smaller ones are pretty easy to get used to playing. The Eb is a bit tricky because of intonation problems.
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-12-28 04:51
The Eb is much harder than Bb. Stop denying it!
__________________
Don't hate me because I play Leblanc! ![[down]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley23.gif) Buffet
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2004-12-28 09:38
I also think that the Eb is a difficult instrument, but then again...I haven't been blessed with the best Eb clarinet....
I find the intonation of the little guy more difficult then my Bb clarinet, for the rest I've no problems with it...
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Author: BassClarinetGirl
Date: 2004-12-28 13:14
*hides under computer desk* I like my Eb!
Actually, its not mine, it just happens to be probably one of the only "nice" instruments that my school owns.... with the exception of our Alto Clarinet, but I'm assuming the only reason they are nice is because no one ever plays them, which spells disaster with most of our careless band students.
Being mostly a bass clarinet and Bb player, I have had surprisingly little trouble with my Eb... I should consider myself lucky then!
Beck
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-12-28 14:08
Over a number of productions of Company in the last thirty years or so, I have always done the Eb clarinet solo under the tune Poor Baby. Usually it was because I had the access to the horn needed, but occasionally it was due to a weak player on the Reed II book, someone who deferred to me with my long-term experience.
It's written for Eb (and does make good use of the tone quality), but there's a doubled line for Bb clarinet. From the markings in the books (poorly erased as they were), it was evident that it was usually taken on a Bb horn.
Usually, I've done it on Eb when one was to hand. But, there have been times (no Eb horn, quirky or over-dry Eb horn reed (Poor Baby is the only call for the Eb horn in the entire show), badly chapped or fissured lips) when I've elected to go the Bb route. Higher notes, and a bit harder to bend one of the bent ones towards the end of each figure as a result, but otherwise not much difference.
Different strokes for different folks....
It should again be noted that one of the main reasons for the Bb/A clarinet pair is that the A is better in the sharp keys, the Bb better in the flat ones. To that extent, playing a Bb horn for a A part will be "more difficult" when playing things at the actual note values.
D clarinet discussions, anyone?
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Author: larryb
Date: 2004-12-28 15:20
I would think a basset horn in G would be really hard to play, since they're so hard to find. You'd probably have to have one custom built for you, and that would be hard on your wallet. And then I think there would be only one or two pieces of music to play (one Notturno by Mozart that I'm aware of). In the end - very hard.
An Ab sopranino would be hard to listen too.
Finally, I think that the hardness of clarinet playing depends on the relative alkalinity of the water you soak your reeds in.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-12-28 15:36
Actually, a D clarinet would be great for Klezmer!
I think that every clarinet has its ups and downs. The B-flat is a good compromise of circumstances probably because it is by far the most popular and therefore the more profitable to refine.
I've found the E-flat to work okay as long as reeds were substantial. My college prof taught me how to make really strong ones out of B-flat reeds.
The A has a few tuning issues, but makes up for it in tone quality IMO.
Low clarinets are often tough in their upper registers, which were probably not a design consideration for most of them.
I've been playing a lot of cello and bassoon parts on bass clarinet, and have found this challenging in terms of upper register tuning and response.
Allen Cole
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2004-12-28 16:11
The C soprano is the easiest for me. Lighter and easier on the thumb than the the Bb. Easier to play in tune and less cramped for the hands than the eefer. As far as size and weight go the C is the Goldilocks scenario.
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2004-12-29 05:40
well I've made a plan... somehow, someway, I'm going to try to play an A clarinet an Eb clarinet and any other different key clarinets I get the chance to play, BEFORE I'm a senior... that is now my goal! fun times...
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Author: starlight
Date: 2004-12-29 08:22
eb soprano is a nightmare, very loud, shrill, annoying
the person who sat next to me in band said it was unbearble
my finergers keep pressing the wrong holes
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